Absorbent article comprising an activated region

ABSTRACT

An absorbent article may comprise an absorbent assembly comprising an absorbent core. The article may also comprise a chassis formed by a web comprising at least one continuous layer that forms a portion of a water-impermeable backsheet and a portion of laterally opposing side flaps. The chassis may further comprise a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, a front waist region comprising a front waist edge, a back waist region comprising a back waist edge, a crotch region between the waist regions, laterally opposing side edges extending between the front waist edge and the back waist edge, an exterior surface, and an interior surface to which the absorbent assembly is attached. The attachment of the absorbent assembly may be shaped. The chassis may further comprise a continuously activated region disposed in one or both of the front and back waist regions of the article. The continuously activated region may comprise longitudinally oriented ridges and valleys, wherein the continuously activated region overlaps the portion of the chassis where at least one abdominal stretch panel is disposed.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos.61/073,154 filed Jun. 17, 2008, and 61/174,688 and 61/174,694, bothfiled on May 1, 2009, the substances of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION Background of the Invention

Disposable absorbent articles are designed to absorb and contain bodilywaste in order to prevent soiling of the body and clothing of thewearer, as well as bedding or other objects with which the wearer comesinto contact. As the usage of disposable absorbent articles hasexpanded, their complexity has increased with the incorporation ofadditional features serving to enhance their performance and appearance.The costs of the materials and the costs of the manufacturing processeshave also increased in conjunction with the increase in complexity. As aresult, the prices at which these articles are sold have risen to levelsthat many potential purchasers around the world cannot afford to pay.Thus, a need exists for a simple disposable absorbent article. Oneapproach to delivering a simple, affordable absorbent article isdescribed herein. The approach described herein leverages simplicity ofdesign and material efficiency enabled via activation to deliver asimplistic low cost article. The activation of the chassis web rendersportions of a simple plastic film extensible and somewhat elastic. Thisextensibility allows for increased flexibility with regard to fit andsizing, as well as delivering significant wearer comfort. Delivering ahigh degree of extensibility of a complete absorbent article thatcomprises a non-extensible absorbent assembly requires holisticintegration of the absorbent assembly into the extensible chassis. Thisintegration is achieved via differential (zoned) activation andattachment of the absorbent assembly in a complimentary fashion therebyminimizing the impact of the non-extensible absorbent assembly on theextensibility of the absorbent article provided by the zoned activation.The combination of the highly extensible chassis, complimentarilyattached absorbent assembly and abdominal stretch panels provide astructure that has the look and feel of real underwear when compared toother less extensible highly contracted diapers. This underwear look andfeel is important to both the caregiver and the wearer, especially in atoilet training context, since it conveys a transition from being a“baby” to becoming a “big boy or big girl.”

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An absorbent article may comprise an absorbent assembly comprising anabsorbent core. The article may also comprise a chassis formed by a webcomprising at least one continuous layer that forms a portion of awater-impermeable backsheet and a portion of laterally opposing sideflaps. The chassis may further comprise a longitudinal axis, a lateralaxis, a front waist region comprising a front waist edge, a back waistregion comprising a back waist edge, a crotch region between the waistregions, laterally opposing side edges extending between the front waistedge and the back waist edge, an exterior surface, and an interiorsurface to which the absorbent assembly is attached. Each of the sideflaps may comprise a longitudinally extending first elastic gatheringmember attached at or adjacent to its proximal edge.

The article may also comprise at least one abdominal stretch panelattached to the interior surface or the exterior surface of the chassisin the front waist region or the back waist region. The abdominalstretch panel may have a circumferentially extending longitudinallydistal edge disposed at or adjacent to the respective waist edge and alongitudinally opposing circumferentially extending longitudinallyproximal edge. The abdominal stretch panel may provide a circumferentialcontractive force around the waist opening when the chassis is stretchedcircumferentially.

The chassis may further comprises a continuously activated regiondisposed in one or both of the front and back waist regions of thearticle. The continuously activated region may comprise longitudinallyoriented ridges and valleys, wherein the continuously activated regionoverlaps the portion of the chassis where the at least one abdominalstretch panel is disposed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawing figures, like reference numerals identifylike elements, which may or may not be identical in the severalexemplary embodiments that are depicted. Some of the figures may havebeen simplified by the omission of selected elements for the purpose ofmore clearly showing other elements. Such omissions of elements in somefigures are not necessarily indicative of the presence or absence ofparticular elements in any of the exemplary embodiments, except as maybe explicitly delineated in the corresponding written description.

In the drawing figures and in the written description, lowercase lettersappended to reference numerals indicate generally symmetric elements,e.g., left and right symmetric elements may be respectively identifiedby the reference numerals 1 a and 1 b. A reference numeral without anappended lowercase letter identifies all of the elements to which thatparticular reference numeral applies, e.g., the same elements as a groupmay be designated 1.

The edges of various components are shown offset from each other forclarity; the depiction of parallel edges immediately adjacent to eachother is intended to represent that these edges are disposed eithercollinearly or in close proximity to each other.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an exemplary disposable absorbent article inthe form of a diaper 20, which is shown in its flat, uncontracted state,i.e., without the contraction induced by elastic members. In FIG. 1, theinterior of the diaper is shown facing the viewer.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 with the exteriorportion of the diaper 20 shown facing the viewer.

FIG. 3 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 taken at the sectionline 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 taken at the sectionline 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 taken at the sectionline 5-5.

FIG. 6 is a section view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 1 taken at the sectionline 6-6.

FIG. 7 is a simplified side elevation view of an exemplary diaper 20 ofFIG. 1 being worn about a lower torso of a wearer.

FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a back elevation view of the diaper 20 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is an elevation view of a laminate stretch panel.

FIG. 11 is a view of the laminate stretch panel of FIG. 10 in astretched condition.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of an exemplary absorbent assembly 200 with theinterior portion of the absorbent assembly 200 shown facing the viewer.

FIG. 13 is a section view of the absorbent assembly of FIG. 12 taken atthe section line 13-13.

FIG. 14 is a section view of the absorbent assembly of FIG. 12 taken atthe section line 14-14.

FIG. 15 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the absorbentassembly 200 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of diaper 20 ofFIG. 1 comprising an inner liner taken at the section line 3-3.

FIG. 17 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of diaper 20 ofFIG. 1 comprising an inner liner taken at the section line 6-6.

FIG. 18 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the side flaps147 of FIG. 1 taken at the section line 4-4.

FIG. 19 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the side flaps147 of FIG. 1 taken at the section line 4-4.

FIG. 20 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the side flaps147 of FIG. 1 taken at the section line 4-4.

FIG. 21 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of an activation andattachment pattern 675 and 210 of FIG. 1, which is shown in its flat,uncontracted state, i.e., without the contraction induced by elasticmembers. In FIG. 21, the exterior of the diaper is shown facing theviewer.

FIG. 22 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of an attachmentpattern 210 of FIG. 1, which is shown in its flat, uncontracted state,i.e., without the contraction induced by elastic members. In FIG. 22,the exterior of the diaper is shown facing the viewer.

FIG. 23 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the side flaps147 of FIG. 1 comprising attached side flaps taken at the section line4-4.

FIG. 24 is a section view of the abdominal stretch panel 370 of FIG. 1taken along the longitudinal axis 42.

FIG. 25 is a section view of an alternative embodiment of the diaper 20of FIG. 1 taken along the longitudinal axis 42 comprising an innerliner.

FIG. 26 is a simplified section view of an alternative embodiment of theinterior surface 102 of FIG. 1 taken at the section line 3-3.

FIG. 27 is a plan view of an exemplary fragment of a formed webmaterial.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In this description, the following terms have the following meanings:

The term “absorbent article” refers to a device that absorbs andcontains liquid, and more specifically, refers to a device that isplaced against or in proximity to the body of the wearer to absorb andcontain the various exudates discharged from the body.

The term “diaper” refers to an absorbent article that is generally wornby infants and incontinent persons about the lower torso and that isspecifically adapted to receive and contain urinary and fecal waste. Adiaper may be in the form of a taped diaper or a pull-on (pant style)diaper.

The term “disposable” refers to the nature of absorbent articles thatgenerally are not intended to be laundered or otherwise restored orreused as an absorbent article, i.e., they are intended to be discardedafter a single use and, may be recycled, composted or otherwise disposedof in an environmentally compatible manner.

The term “longitudinal” refers to a direction running from a waist edgeto an opposing waist edge of the article and generally parallel to themaximum linear dimension of the article. Directions within 45° of thelongitudinal direction are considered to be “longitudinal”.

The term “lateral” refers to a direction running from a side edge to anopposing side edge of the article and generally at a right angle to thelongitudinal direction. Directions within 45° of the lateral directionare considered to be “lateral”.

The term “circumferential” refers to a direction encircling the waist ofthe wearer generally parallel to the lateral direction.

The term “disposed” refers to an element being attached and positionedin a particular place or position in a unitary structure with otherelements.

The term “attach” refers to elements being connected or united byadhering, bonding, fastening etc., by any method suitable for theelements being attached together and their constituent materials. Manysuitable means for attaching or joining elements together arewell-known, including adhesive, pressure, thermal, mechanical, etc. Suchattachment methods may be used to attach elements together over aparticular area either continuously or intermittently. Unless indicatedotherwise, elements that are described as being attached to each otherare attached directly together, with either nothing or via one or moreclosure members, e.g., an adhesive or fastener, between them. Elementsthat are described as being attached to each other are attached togethereither permanently or temporarily, i.e., permanent attachment means thatone or both of the elements and/or any closure members that are presentmust be functionally damaged in order to separate them such that theyare not reattachable or refastenable and temporary attachment means thatone or both of the elements and/or any closure members that are presentmay be separated and reattached or refastened (i.e., opened and closed)multiple times while substantially maintaining functionality of theclosure member.

The term “laminate” refers to elements being attached together in alayered arrangement.

The terms “water-permeable” and “water-impermeable” refer to thepenetrability of materials in the context of the intended usage ofdisposable absorbent articles. Specifically, the term “water-permeable”refers to a layer or a layered structure having pores, openings, and/orinterconnected void spaces that permit liquid water to pass through itsthickness in the absence of a forcing pressure. Conversely, the term“water-impermeable” refers to a layer or a layered structure through thethickness of which liquid water cannot pass in the absence of a forcingpressure. A layer or a layered structure that is water-impermeableaccording to this definition may be permeable to water vapor, i.e., maybe “water vapor-permeable”. Such a water vapor-permeable layer orlayered structure is commonly known in the art as “breathable”. As iswell known in the art, a common method for measuring the permeability towater of the materials typically used in absorbent articles is ahydrostatic pressure test, also called a hydrostatic head test or simplya “hydrohead” test. Suitable well known compendial methods for hydroheadtesting are approved by INDA (formerly the International Nonwovens andDisposables Association, now The Association of the Nonwoven FabricsIndustry) and EDANA (European Disposables and Nonwovens Association).

The terms “proximal” and “distal” refer respectively to the location ofan element near to or far from the center of a structure, e.g., theproximal edge of a longitudinally extending element is located nearer tothe longitudinal axis than the distal edge of the same element islocated relative to the same longitudinal axis.

The terms “interior” and “exterior” refer respectively to the locationof an element that is intended to be placed against or toward the bodyof a wearer when an absorbent article is worn and the location of anelement that is intended to be placed against or toward any clothingthat is worn over the absorbent article. Synonyms for “interior” and“exterior” include, respectively, “inner” and “outer”, as well as“inside” and “outside”. Also, when the absorbent article is orientedsuch that its interior faces upward, e.g., when it is laid out inpreparation for setting the wearer on top of it, synonyms include“upper” and “lower”, “above” and “below”, “over” and “under”, and “top”and “bottom”, respectively.

The term “nonwoven” refers to a sheet, web, or batt of directionally orrandomly oriented fibers, made by bonding or entangling the fibersthrough mechanical, thermal, or chemical means. Nonwoven materialsexclude paper and products which are woven, knitted, tufted, or feltedby wet milling. The fibers may be man-made synthetics.

The term “abdominal stretch panel” refers to a structural component thatresists elongation by providing a circumferential contractive forcearound the waist opening of a diaper when it is stretched in thecircumferential direction.

The term “application force” is the force required to extend the waistregion of the diaper in order to apply the diaper onto the wearer.

The term “sustained fit force” is the force delivered by the diaper atthe waist that provides the requisite body contact post application inorder to deliver proper fit, gasketing, and sustained position (i.e.,sustained fit).

Description of Exemplary Diaper Embodiment

In FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the exemplarydiaper 20 is shown in its flat uncontracted state prior to being formedinto a pant. The finished pant product is shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, andFIG. 9.

One end portion of the exemplary diaper 20 may be configured as a frontwaist region 36. The longitudinally opposing end portion may beconfigured as a back waist region 38. An intermediate portion of thediaper 20 extending longitudinally between the front waist region 36 andthe back waist region 38 may be configured as a crotch region 37.

The basic structure of the diaper 20 includes a chassis 100. The chassis100 has a laterally extending front waist edge 136 in the front waistregion 36 and a longitudinally opposing and laterally extending backwaist edge 138 in the back waist region 38. The chassis 100 has alongitudinally extending left side edge 137 a and a laterally opposingand longitudinally extending right side edge 137 b, both chassis sideedges extending longitudinally between the front waist edge 136 and theback waist edge 138. The chassis 100 has an interior surface 102 and anexterior surface 104. The chassis 100 also has a longitudinal axis 42and a lateral axis 44. The longitudinal axis 42 extends through themidpoint of the front waist edge 136 and through the midpoint of theback waist edge 138. The lateral axis 44 extends through the midpoint ofthe left side edge 137 a and through the midpoint of the right side edge137 b. The exemplary chassis 100 shown in FIG. 1 additionally haslongitudinally extending and laterally opposing side flaps 147 a and 147b that are described in more detail below. The portion of the chassisforming the backsheet and side flaps (including the side barriers andcuff flaps) may be formed by a web (herein, the “chassis web”)comprising one or more layers. One or more of the layers forming thechassis web 149 may be water impervious. The layers forming the chassisweb 149 may have different lateral extents or may be coterminus inwidth. And, the chassis web 149, as well as the layer or layers formingthe chassis web 149, may be laterally and/or longitudinally continuous.

The basic structure of the diaper 20 also includes an absorbent assembly200 that may be attached to the chassis 100. The absorbent assembly 200has a laterally extending front edge 236 in the front waist region 36and a longitudinally opposing and laterally extending back edge 238 inthe back waist region 38. The absorbent assembly 200 has alongitudinally extending left side edge 237 a and a laterally opposingand longitudinally extending right side edge 237 b, both absorbentassembly side edges extending longitudinally between the front edge 236and the back edge 238. The absorbent assembly 200 has an interiorsurface 202 and an exterior surface 204. The absorbent assembly 200 maybe disposed symmetrically with respect to either or both of thelongitudinal axis 42 and the lateral axis 44. Alternatively, theabsorbent assembly 200 may be disposed asymmetrically with respect toeither or both of the longitudinal axis 42 and the lateral axis 44. Forexample, the absorbent assembly 200 shown in FIG. 1 is disposedsymmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis 42 andasymmetrically with respect to the lateral axis 44. In particular, theabsorbent assembly 200 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed asymmetrically towardthe front waist region 36.

The respective front edge 236, back edge 238, left side edge 237 a, andright side edge 237 b of the absorbent assembly 200 may lie inward ofthe respective front waist edge 136, back waist edge 138, left side edge137 a, and right side edge 137 b of the chassis 100, as in the exemplarydiaper 20 shown in FIG. 1. In certain embodiments, the front edge 236and back edge 238 of the absorbent assembly 200 may lie inward of thefront and back interior abdominal stretch panels 370 and 390, e.g.,between the proximal edges 372 and 392 of the interior abdominal stretchpanels 370 and 390 and the lateral axis 44. Alternatively, one or moreof the edges of the absorbent assembly 200 may coincide with thecorresponding edge(s) of the chassis 100. In yet another alternativeembodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 24, the interior front and backabdominal stretch panels 370 and 390 may overlap a portion of theabsorbent assembly 200. In such an overlapping configuration, it may beadvantageous for the interior abdominal stretch panels 370 and/or 390 toremain unattached to the absorbent assembly 200 over a portion of thelongitudinal extent of the abdominal stretch panel 370 and/or 390,particularly in the laterally central portions of the chassis, i.e.,area between the laterally opposing side flaps 147, for example 117 and118, to provide an abdominal stretch panel waist cap or stand up waistfeature forming a pocket 650 which helps to prevent leakage of urineand/or feces at the waist.

The chassis 100 and 100 may additionally include an inner liner 22attached to the backsheet 26 and/or the absorbent assembly 200 asillustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17. The inner liner 22 may form a portion ofthe interior surface 102 of the chassis 100 that is intended to beplaced against the body of the wearer. The inner liner 22 may be formedof a soft material that will not irritate the skin of the wearer. Suchan inner liner 22 may serve to isolate the skin of the wearer from aportion of the backsheet 26 as may be desirable, for example, when thediaper 20 is worn under conditions in which contact between the skin anda backsheet 26 could be uncomfortable. Many suitable materials for theinner liner 22 are well-known in the art, including rayon and syntheticnonwovens such as spunbonded or carded polypropylene or polyester. Theinner liner 22 may extend to the same width and the same length as thebacksheet 26.

Alternatively, one or more of the edges of the inner liner 22 may lieinward of the edges (i.e., side edges 137 a and b, and waist end edges136 and 138) of the chassis 100. For example, with reference to theexemplary diaper 20 shown in FIG. 1 only the portions of the inner liner22 (see FIGS. 16 and 17) lying in a front gap 606 between the front edge236 of the absorbent assembly 200 and the front waist edge 136 of thechassis 100 and a back gap 607 between the back edge 238 of theabsorbent assembly 200 and the back waist edge 138 of the chassis 100are exposed, while the remainder of the inner liner 22 is covered by theabsorbent assembly 200 and the side flaps 147 a and b. Therefore, alaterally extending strip of the inner liner 22 disposed in the frontgap 606 in the front waist region 36 and a similar laterally extendingstrip of the inner liner 22 disposed in the back gap 607 in the backwaist region 38 may suffice to isolate the skin of the wearer from thebacksheet 26 in these two gaps. The inner liner 22 may be partiallydisposed under the side flaps 147 or alternatively the inner liner 22may be disposed on top of the side flaps 147 in one or both of the waistregions 36 and 38. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 25, theinner liner 22 may overlap a portion of the absorbent assembly 200. Insuch an overlapping configuration, it may be advantageous for the innerliner 22 to remain unattached to the absorbent assembly 200 over aportion of the longitudinal extent of the inner liner 22 particularly inthe laterally central portions, area between the laterally opposing sideflaps 147, for example 117 and 118, to provide an inner liner waist capor stand up waist feature forming a pocket 650 which helps to preventleakage of urine and/or feces at the waist.

The basic structure of the diaper 20 also includes at least oneabdominal stretch panel that may be attached to the chassis 100 in awaist region. When the chassis 100 is stretched in the circumferentialdirection, the abdominal stretch panel resists by providing acircumferential contractive force around the waist opening of the diaper20. In FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, the diaper 20is shown as having four abdominal stretch panels. In particular, in FIG.1 and FIG. 3, a front interior abdominal stretch panel 370 is shownattached interiorly to the chassis 100 in the front waist region 36 ofthe diaper 20. Similarly, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, a back interiorabdominal stretch panel 390 is shown attached interiorly to the chassis100 in the back waist region 38 of the diaper 20. In FIG. 2 and FIG. 3,a front exterior abdominal stretch panel 360 is shown attachedexteriorly to the chassis 100 in the front waist region 36. Finally, inFIG. 2 and FIG. 6, a back exterior abdominal stretch panel 380 is shownattached exteriorly to the chassis 100 in the back waist region 38 ofthe diaper 20. The abdominal stretch panel may be applied to the surfaceof the absorbent article in an untensioned state, i.e. the abdominalstretch panel applies little or no contractive force on the articleuntil the waist region of the article is extended laterally, e.g. duringapplication. Alternatively, the abdominal stretch panel may be appliedto the surface of the absorbent article under tension and thereforeapplies some contractive force to the waist region of the article priorto use.

Alternatively, the diaper 20 may have four abdominal stretch panels asdescribed above, or may have only one, two, or three abdominal stretchpanels, as desired for providing an appropriate level of circumferentialcontractive forces around the waist of a wearer. For example, in someembodiments, the diaper 20 may have only a front exterior abdominalstretch panel 360, while in other exemplary embodiments, the diaper 20may have both a front exterior abdominal stretch panel 360 and a backexterior abdominal stretch panel 380. In some exemplary embodiments, thediaper 20 may have only a front interior abdominal stretch panel 370,while in other exemplary embodiments, the diaper 20 may have both afront interior abdominal stretch panel 370 and a back interior abdominalstretch panel 390. In some exemplary embodiments, the diaper 20 may havean exterior abdominal stretch panel and an interior abdominal stretchpanel in either the front waist region 36 or the back waist region 38,and only either an exterior abdominal stretch panel or an interiorabdominal stretch panel in the opposing waist region. The exteriorabdominal stretch panels 360 and 380 may be attached to the exteriorsurface of the backsheet 26. The interior abdominal stretch panels 370and 390 may be attached to the interior surface of the chassis 102and/or the interior surface of the absorbent assembly 202 and/or theupper surfaces 613 a and b of the side flaps 147 a and b.

During application of the diaper 20, particularly a diaper configured asa pull-on pant, the diaper 20 may be pulled upward along the legs andover the hips of the wearer to the waist. Several factors impact ease ofapplication for pull-on style diapers. First, the wearer or caregivershould be able to get the wearer's legs through the leg openings easily.Second, the abdominal stretch panels 360, 370, 380, and 390 should havean acceptable application force (i.e., the force that allows a wearer orcaregiver of the wearer to extend the abdominal stretch panels 360, 370,380, and 390 and pull the diaper upward over the wearer's buttocks andhips without excessive effort). Excessive application force makesapplication of the diaper 20 more difficult for both the caregiverand/or the wearer, for example a potty training child who pulls the pantup and down on their own. Finally, the abdominal stretch panels 360,370, 380, and 390 should provide an adequate level of wearing force orsustained fit force (i.e., the force that the abdominal stretch panels360, 370, 380, and 390 apply to the waist of the wearer during wearproviding the requisite sustained fit, including maintaining theposition, fit, and gasketing of the diaper 20 at the waist, withoutmarking the skin).

As shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9, when the diaper 20 is worn onthe lower torso of a wearer, the front waist edge 136 and the back waistedge 138 of the chassis 100 encircle the waist of the wearer, while atthe same time the chassis side edges 137 a and 137 b encircle the legsof the wearer. At the same time, the crotch region 37 may be positionedbetween the legs of the wearer and the absorbent assembly 200 extendsfrom the front waist region 36 through the crotch region 37 to the backwaist region 38.

Description of the Chassis

The chassis 100 includes a water-impermeable backsheet 26. The backsheet26 forms an exterior surface that is intended to be placed toward anyclothing that is worn over the diaper 20. Many suitable materials foruse as the backsheet 26 are well-known, including films of polyethyleneand other polyolefins. Multi-layer backsheets, such as a laminate of afilm 30 and a nonwoven material 31 or a laminate of multiple nonwovenlayers, may also be suitable for use as the backsheet 26. Such abacksheet may be oriented with the nonwoven 31 disposed exteriorly ofthe film, as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG.6, to provide the feel and appearance of a more cloth-like outermostlayer than would be provided by using the film 30 as the outermostlayer. A multi-layer backsheet 26, such as a laminate of a film 30 and anonwoven 31, may also be suitable for use with the nonwoven 31 disposedinteriorly to separate the film 30 from the skin of the wearer, or withnonwoven 31 disposed both exteriorly and interiorly, such that the film30 is sandwiched. In addition, the nonwoven 31 and film 30 layers of themulti-layer laminate may have different widths, for example the film 30may be wider than the nonwoven 31 or alternatively the nonwoven 31 maybe wider than the film 30.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6, theexemplary chassis 100 has longitudinally extending and laterallyopposing side flaps 147 that are disposed on the interior portion of thediaper 20 that faces inwardly toward the wearer and contacts the wearer.The side flaps 147 may be formed by folding portions of the chassis 100laterally inward, i.e., toward the longitudinal axis 42, to form boththe respective side flaps 147 and the side edges 137 of the chassis 100.Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 23, the side flaps 147 may be formed byattaching an additional layer or layers to the chassis 100 at oradjacent to each of the respective side edges 137 of the chassis 100.

Each side flap 147 has a proximal edge 157. In the exemplary diaper 20shown in FIG. 1, the side flaps 147 overlap the absorbent assembly 200,i.e., the proximal edges 157 lie laterally inward of the respective sideedges 237 of the absorbent assembly 200. Such an overlappedconfiguration may be desirable in order to impart a more finishedappearance to the diaper 20 than that imparted by a non-overlappedconfiguration. Alternatively, the side flaps 147 may not overlap theabsorbent assembly 200.

Each of the side flaps 147 may be attached to the interior surface 102of the chassis 100 in longitudinally oriented side flap attachment zones151 in the front waist region 36 and longitudinally oriented side flapattachment zones 152 in the back waist region 38.

In the exemplary chassis 100 shown in FIG. 1, the side flaps 147 mayalso be attached to the interior surface 102 of the chassis 100 inlaterally oriented side flap attachment zones 153 adjacent to the frontwaist edge 136 and in a longitudinally opposing laterally oriented sideflap attachment zones 154 adjacent to the back waist edge 138.

In embodiments in which the front edge 236 or the back edge 238 of theabsorbent assembly 200 coincides with the respective front waist edge136 or back waist edge 138 of the chassis 100 and the side flaps 147overlap the absorbent assembly 200, the side flaps 147 may be attachedto the absorbent assembly 200 instead of, or in addition to, beingattached to the interior surface 102 of the chassis 100.

In embodiments in which the chassis 100 comprises a multi-layer chassisweb 149, such as a laminate of a film 30 and a nonwoven 31, the nonwoven31 may extend laterally to the full extent, width of the film 30 oralternatively the nonwoven 31 may have a width that is less than orgreater than that of the film 30 layer. In an embodiment where thenonwoven 31 has a width, lateral extent, that is less than that of thefilm 30, the portion of the chassis web 149 that is folded to form theside flap 147 may consist solely of the film 30 layer, or may consistsubstantially of the film 30 layer (in other words, for a multilayeredchassis web 149, the nonwoven 31 may extend across the exterior surface104 from one chassis side edge 137 a to the opposing side edge 137 b; oralternatively, the nonwoven 31 may wrap the chassis side edges 137 a andb and cover a portion of the side flaps 147 a and b). In an embodimentwhere the nonwoven 31 has a width, lateral extent, that is greater thanthat of the film 30, the portion of the chassis web 149 that is foldedto form the side flap 147 may consist solely of the nonwoven 31 layer,or may consist substantially of the nonwoven 31 layer. Furthermore, thenonwoven 31 of a multi-layer chassis web 149 may extend longitudinallyto the full extent, length, of the film 30 or alternatively the nonwoven31 may have a longitudinal extent that is less than that of the film 30layer. In an embodiment where the nonwoven 31 has a length, longitudinalextent, that is less than that of the film 30, the portion of thechassis 100 uncovered by the nonwoven 31 in the front and/or back waistregions 36 and 38 may be covered by the abdominal stretch panels 360,370, 380, and 390.

Between the longitudinally opposing side flap attachment zones, theproximal edges 157 of the side flaps 147 remain free, i.e., are notattached to the interior surface 102 of the chassis 100 or to theabsorbent assembly 200. Also between the longitudinally opposing sideflap attachment zones, each side flap may include one or more(specifically including one, two, three, or four strands per side flap)longitudinally extensible flap elastic gathering members that may beattached adjacent to the proximal edge of the side flap by any of manywell-known means. Each of such flap elastic gathering members may beattached over its entire length or over only a portion of its length.For example, such flap elastic gathering members may be attached only ator near its longitudinally opposing ends and may be unattached at themiddle of its length. Such flap elastic gathering members may bedisposed in the crotch region 37 and may extend into one or both of thefront waist region 36 and the back waist region 38. For example, in theexemplary chassis 100 shown in FIG. 1, an elastic strand 167 may beattached adjacent to the proximal edge 157 of each of the side flaps 147and extends into both the front waist region 36 and the back waistregion 38.

Each flap elastic gathering member may be enclosed inside a folded hem.For example, in the exemplary chassis 100 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5,each of the elastic strands 167 may be enclosed inside a hem 170 formedadjacent to the proximal edge 157 of the respective side flap 147.Alternatively, the flap elastic gathering member(s) may be sandwichedbetween two layers of the chassis or may be attached on a surface of thechassis 100 and remain exposed.

When stretched, the flap elastic gathering member disposed adjacent toeach side flap proximal edge allows the side flap edge to extend to theflat uncontracted length of the chassis, e.g., the length of the chassis100, as shown in FIG. 1. When allowed to relax, the flap elasticgathering member contracts to pull the front waist region 36 and theback waist region 38 toward each other and thereby bend the diaper 20into a “U” shape in which the interior of the “U” shape may be formed bythe portions of the diaper 20 that are intended to be placed toward thebody of the wearer. Because each of the proximal edges 157 remains freebetween the longitudinally oriented side flap attachment zones 151 and152, the contractive force of the elastic strand 167 lifts the proximaledge 157 of the side flap 147 away from the interior surface 102 of thechassis 100. This lifting of the proximal edges 157 when the diaper 20is in the relaxed condition lifts the side flaps 147 into position toserve as side barriers adjacent to the side edges 237 of the absorbentassembly 200.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 5, 18, 19, and 20, one or more (specificallyincluding one, two, three, or four strands per side flap) second elasticstrands 168 a and b may be attached at or adjacent the chassis sideedges 137 a and b of the chassis 100 where it is folded to form the sideflaps 147 a and b. When allowed to relax, the second elastic strands 168a and b may gather the side edges 137 a and b of the chassis 100 to formside barriers 633 a and b and function as a barrier to leakage of urineand fecal waste. A channel 621 a and b may be formed adjacent the sideedge 137 a and b of the chassis 100 where it is folded to form the sideflap 147 a and b such that the portion of the chassis web 149 formingthe channel 621 a and b remains largely non-adhered to itself or to thesecond elastic strands 168 a or b, particularly in each of the opposingwaist regions 36 and 38, such that the second elastic strands 168 a andb floats in the hollow of the channels 621 a and b to enable the secondelastic strands 168 a and b to snap back to its glued-in length once thediaper 20 is cut to length during manufacture.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 5, 18, 19 and 20 the side flaps 147 may beformed into cuff flaps 631 and side barriers 633. Particularly, sidebarrier attachments 630 may be oriented between the first and secondelastic strands 167 and 168. The placement of side barrier attachments630 relative to the longitudinal axis 42 has a direct and coupled effecton the depth of cuff flaps 631 and the size of the side barriers 633.For example, when the side barrier attachments 630 are moved laterallyinward, the depth of the cuff flaps 631 decreases and the size of theside barriers 633 increases. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 18, when theside barrier attachments 630 are moved laterally outward, the depth ofthe cuff flaps 631 increases and the size of the side barriers 633decreases. The depth and/or size of the cuff flaps 631 and side barriers633 may be adjusted for various applications to provide enhancedfunctionality. In one such embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, it has beenfound that reduced depth cuff flaps 631 and larger side barriers 633provides better application ease with regard to a pull-on pant styleapplication. This configuration increases the size of the leg opening(not shown in FIG. 19) enabling the wearer to step into the diaper 20more easily. In yet another embodiment, it has been found thatincreasing the depth of the cuff flaps 631 and reducing the size of theside barriers 633 provides improved leakage protection and increasedperception of capacity.

The depth of the cuff flaps 631 as measured from the proximal edge 157of the side flap 147 to the side barrier attachment 630 may be fromabout 2 cm to about 7 cm, from about 2.5 cm to about 6.5 cm, or fromabout 3 cm to about 6 cm. The length of the side flap 147, as measuredfrom the proximal edge 157 of the side flap 147 to the side edge 137 ofthe chassis 100 may be from about 4.5 cm to about 9.5 cm, from about 5cm to about 8.5 cm, or from about 5.5 cm to about 7.5 cm. Alternatively,as shown in FIG. 20, a second pair of side barrier attachments 630 c andd may be used such that one can adjust the height of the cuff flaps 631of the side flaps 147 without impacting the height of the side barriers633. A channel 634 a and b may be formed between side barrierattachments 630 a and c and/or 630 b and d and may comprise one or moreadditional elastic gathering members/strands 635 a and b disposedtherein.

For embodiments wherein the side flaps 147 are formed by attachingadditional layers (e.g., film 30 and/or nonwoven 31) to the chassis 100at or adjacent to each of the respective side edges 137 a and b of thechassis 100, the second elastic strand 168 a and b may be oriented andattached between the layers (e.g., film 30 and nonwoven 31) see FIG. 24.The layers (e.g., film 30 and nonwoven 31) may also form a channel(e.g., 621 a and b) and provide the functionality associated with it asdescribed above.

At and/or adjacent to each of the side edges 137 of the chassis, thefront waist region 36 and the back waist region 38 are attached togetherto form the finished pant product having a waist opening 10 and two legopenings 12. This attachment may have the form of side seams 115. Such aside seam may be formed where the waist regions are overlapped such thatthe interior surface of one lies against the exterior surface of theother. In another form, a side seam may be formed where the side edgesin the waist regions are abutted. In another form, a side seam may beformed where either the interior surfaces or the exterior surfaces ofthe waist regions are in face-to-face contact, i.e., in a so-calledflanged attachment. Such flanged attachments are shown in FIG. 7, FIG.8, and FIG. 9.

Referring to FIG. 7, side seam 115 may comprise primary closure members700 which are refastenable. The primary closure members 700 may compriseany refastenable fastening components known in the art. For example, theprimary closure members 700 may comprise mechanical fasteners, e.g. hookand loop fasteners, hook and hook fasteners, macrofasteners, buttons,snaps, tab and slot fasteners, tape fasteners, adhesive fasteners,cohesive fasteners, magnetic fasteners, hermaphrodidic fasteners and thelike. Some suitable examples of fastening systems and/or fasteningelements are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,848,594; 4,662,875;4,846,815; 4,894,060; 4,946,527; 5,151,092; 5,221,274; 6,251,097;6,669,618; and 6,432,098; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/240,943,entitled, “Anti-Pop Open Macrofasteners” filed on Sep. 30, 2005; andSer. No. 11/240,838, entitled, “A Fastening System Having MultipleEngagement Orientations”, filed on Sep. 30, 2005. Additionally, varioussuitable pant configurations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,246,433;5,569,234; 6,120,487; 6,120,489; 4,940,464; 5,092,861; 5,897,545;5,957,908; and U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2003/0233082;2005/0234419A1; 2003/0088220; 2005/0130821; 2003/0233082; 2005/0215971;2005/0215970; 2007/0078427; 2007/0093769; 2007/0074381; 2007/0078426A1;and 2008-0107861.

A side seam may be formed where the waist regions are overlapped suchthat the interior surface of one lies against the exterior surface ofthe other. In such an embodiment, one closure member 700 may be disposedon the interior surface of the side flap while the other closure member700 is disposed on the exterior surface of the backsheet. In analternative embodiment, a side seam may be formed where the side edgesin the waist regions are abutted. In such an embodiment, the closuremember 700 may be disposed on the outer surface of the backsheet in boththe front and back waist regions and/or on the inner surface of the sideflaps in the front and back waist regions such that it spans from onewaist region to the opposing waist region. In yet another embodiment, aside seam may be formed where either the interior surfaces or theexterior surfaces of the waist regions are in face-to-face contact,i.e., in a so-called flanged attachment. Such flanged attachments areshown in FIG. 7, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9.

In other embodiments, secondary closure members (not shown) may beemployed to enable adjustment of the article once the article has beenapplied to a wearer. Secondary closure members (not shown) serve toincrease the tension (i.e., “cinch”) in the waist hoop subsequent toapplication in order to provide enhanced sustained fit of the article.Secondary closure members (not shown) may include any type of fasteneras known in the art and may be associated with a stretch element thataids in increasing the tension in the waist hoop. A secondary closuremember (not shown) may be disposed adjacent one of the primary closuremembers 700 or may be made unitarily with one of the primary closuremembers 700, The purpose of a secondary closure member (not shown) is toallow the user to adjust the fit of the article. It should be understoodthat multiple closure members, i.e. primary, secondary, tertiary, etc.may be incorporated into one or all of the components forming therefastenable side seam 115.

Further, it should be appreciated that closure members 700 need not havean infinite life span, but it is sufficient that the closure members 700attached in a refastenable manner can be separated and re-attachedsuccessively several times over the typical use life span of theabsorbent article. It will also be appreciated that the aggressivenessof actual fastening may be reduced significantly from fastening torefastening in absolute terms, but that such reduction is not“substantial degradation” of fastener performance if the resultingrefastened strength is sufficient for the fastening system's purpose ofuse.

A portion or the whole of the chassis 100 may be made extensible to adegree greater than the inherent extensibility of the material ormaterials from which the chassis is made, e.g., the backsheet 26. Theadditional extensibility may be desirable in order to allow the chassis100 to conform to the body of a wearer during movement by the wearer.The additional extensibility may also be desirable, for example, inorder to allow the user of a diaper 20 including a chassis 100 having aparticular size before extension to extend the front waist region 36,the back waist region 38, or both waist regions of the chassis 100 toprovide additional body coverage for wearers of differing size, i.e., totailor the diaper to the individual wearer. Such extension of the waistregion or regions may give the diaper a generally hourglass shape, solong as the crotch region 37 is extended to a relatively lesser degreethan the waist region or regions, and may impart a tailored appearanceto the diaper 20 when it is worn. In addition, the additionalextensibility may be desirable in order to minimize the cost of thediaper. For example, an amount of material that would otherwise besufficient only to make a relatively smaller diaper lacking thisextensibility can be used to make a diaper capable of being extended toadequately cover a wearer that is larger than the unextended smallerdiaper would fit.

A portion of the chassis 100 in the front and/or back waist regions 36and 38 may be made laterally extensible to a maximum extensibilitygreater than a maximum extensibility of another portion of the chassis100 in the crotch region 37 such that a lateral extension of each of theportions in the front, back, and crotch regions 36, 38, and 37 to itsmaximum extensibility imparts an hourglass shape to the chassis 100. Inone embodiment, the portion of the chassis 100 underlying and/orimmediately adjacent an abdominal stretch panel (e.g., back/frontinterior/exterior abdominal stretch panels 360, 370, 380, and 390) maybe made laterally extensible to a maximum extensibility greater than amaximum extensibility of another portion of the chassis 100, for examplethe crotch region 37, such that a lateral extension of each of theportions to its maximum extensibility facilitates application of thediaper 20 onto the body of a wearer by enabling the waist opening 10 tobe extended to fit over the wearer's hips and in addition, opening andorienting the leg openings 12 enabling the wearer to place the legsthrough the leg openings 12 more effectively.

Additional lateral extensibility in the chassis 100 may be provided in avariety of ways. For example, a material or materials from which thechassis 100 is made may be pleated by any of many known methods.Alternatively, all or a portion of the chassis may be intermittentlyactivated to create a structured elastic-like formed web material or aformed laminate of web materials like those described in U.S. Pat. No.5,518,801 issued on 21 May 1996 in the name of Chappell et al. Thisformed web material includes distinct laterally extending regions inwhich the original material has been altered by embossing or anothermethod of deformation to create a pattern of generally longitudinallyoriented alternating ridges and valleys and also includes laterallyextending unaltered regions between the laterally extending alteredregions. The formed web material can be extended in a directionperpendicular to the ridges up to the point where the ridges and valleysflatten with substantially less force than is required to extend beyondthat point. In addition to lateral extensibility, the creation of aformed laminate web as described above provides the backsheet 26 withimproved texture and cloth-like appearance and feel. The deformationcreates a cloth-like pattern in the film and increases the loft of thenonwoven 31 in multi-layer film 30 and nonwoven 31 laminate backsheets26.

An exemplary fragment 300 of such a formed web material 305 is shown inFIG. 27. This formed web material 305 includes distinct laterallyextending regions 310 in which the original material has been altered byembossing or another method of deformation to create a pattern ofgenerally longitudinally oriented alternating ridges 312 and valleys314. The formed web material 305 also includes laterally extendingunaltered regions 316 located between the laterally extending alteredregions 310.

Such a formed web material 305 can be laterally extended beyond itsoriginal dimension with the application of relatively less force thanthat required to extend the same material to the same extent whenundeformed. In particular, the effects of an application of opposingdivergent forces directed generally perpendicular to the ridges 312 andvalleys 314 include an extension of such a formed web material along anaxis between the opposing forces and the generation of a resistivecontractive force, primarily in the unaltered regions 316. Thisresistive force is relatively smaller than the resistive force that isgenerated by the same material in its unaltered form when extended tothe same extent, at least up to an extension at which the ridges andvalleys in the altered regions flatten and begin to contribute to theresistive force. Thus, such formed web materials exhibit an extensiblebehavior resembling that of traditional elastic materials in the rangeof extensibility that is useful for the type of lateral extensiondesired for use in absorbent articles. However, such formed webmaterials may be made of relatively less expensive materials that arenot inherently elastic and, thus, their use may provide an advantage interms of the cost of manufacturing the absorbent articles.

Alternatively, a portion of the chassis can be continuously activated(e.g., ring-rolled and thus rendered highly extensible as described inU.S. Pat. No. 5,366,782 (issued Nov. 22, 1994 to Curro, et al)).Specifically, a ring-rolling apparatus (not shown), which comprisesopposing rolls (not shown) having intermeshing teeth (not shown) thatincrementally stretch and thereby plastically deform the chassis (or aportion thereof) thereby rendering the chassis extensible in thering-rolled regions. In one embodiment, the backsheet 26 can bering-rolled in a portion of at least one of the front or back waistregions 36 and 38, for example the portion of the chassis 100 underlyingand/or immediately adjacent the back/front interior/exterior abdominalstretch panels 360, 370, 380, and 390, while other regions may comprisea structured elastic-like formed web material.

The activation approaches described above are achieved by using a set ofopposing rolls comprising a staggered orientation of teeth such thatwhen a material such as the chassis web 149 or backsheet passes throughthe intermeshing rolls, the material is deformed to create the desiredactivation pattern in the web. Alternatively, the teeth of one of therolls may be continuous around the circumference of the roll while theteeth on the opposing roll may be discontinuous forming intermittentactivation (e.g. a structured elastic-like formed web) or a pitchedcontinuous activation (e.g. continuously activated in the opposing waistregions and not the crotch region). The depth to which the teethintermesh, i.e. depth of engagement, will determine to what degree theweb is incrementally stretched and/or plastically deformed and thereforethe degree of extensibility imparted to the web.

In some embodiments, the chassis web 149 can be activated in a portionof side barriers or cuff flaps to a greater extent, for example, lengthof the activated/deformed region or the depth of engagement. Forexample, in these embodiments, one or both of the waist regions of thechassis immediately adjacent the side edges may comprise longerlongitudinally oriented ridges and valleys while other portions of thewaist region may comprise relatively shorted longitudinally orientedridges and valleys. Alternatively, one or both of the waist regions ofthe chassis immediately adjacent the side edges and or end edges maycomprise a material that has been deformed to a greater extent forminglarger (i.e. deeper) longitudinally oriented ridges and valleys whileother portions of the absorbent article may comprise relatively smaller(i.e. shallower) longitudinally oriented ridges and valleys.

In certain embodiments, the activated portion of the chassis web 149disposed in one of the front or back waist region may comprise acontinuous activation pattern (e.g., via ring rolling) and anintermittent activation pattern (i.e., a structured elastic-like formedweb material). These two activation patterns may be disposed in anoverlapping or side-by-side relationship. For example, as a moreparticular embodiment, the entire chassis web 149 may be intermittentlyactivated to form a structured elastic-like formed web material and theportion of the chassis web 149 disposed in one or both of the waistregions may be continuously activated, such that the continuouslyactivated region overlaps the intermittently activated region.

As illustrated in FIG. 26, when exterior abdominal stretch panels 360and 380 are used, but not interior abdominal stretch panels 370 and 390,ring-roll type (e.g. continuous) activation may create corrugations 636in the interior of the waist regions 36 and 38. Specifically, thechassis 100 (including the backsheet 26, side flaps 147, and inner liner22 (when present)), may be corrugated to provide an undulating innersurface 102, forming the corrugations 636. These corrugations 636 arebelieved to promote breathability and, overall, a healthier environmentfor the wearer's skin, particularly in the waist region.

Alternatively, when interior abdominal stretch panels 370 and 390 areused, but not exterior abdominal stretch panels 360 and 380, ring-rolltype (e.g. continuous) activation may create corrugations 636 on theexterior of the waist regions 36 and 38. Specifically, the chassis 100(including the backsheet 26, side flaps 147, and inner liner 22 (whenpresent)), may be corrugated to provide an undulating outer surface 104,forming the corrugations 636. These corrugations 636 are believed toprovide an impression of extensibility as the waist region of thearticle is extended during application.

The chassis 100 may be ring-rolled across the entire width in one orboth of the front/back waist regions 36 and 38 or alternatively may bering-rolled over only a portion of the chassis 100 width. In yet anotherembodiment the portion of the chassis 100 may be ring-rolled where theside flaps 147 a and b overlap and are joined to the chassis 100 in theside flap attachment zones 151, 152, 153, and 154. The ring-rolling maytake place prior to folding portions of the chassis 100 to form the sideflaps 147 a and b or alternatively after the side flaps 147 a and b havebeen formed and/or attached. Further, ring-rolling may take place afterthe back/front interior/exterior abdominal stretch panels 360, 370, 380,and 390 are attached.

The front laterally central portion 117 and the back laterally centralportion 118 of the chassis 100 may have a different range ofextensibility from the portions of the chassis in the side flapattachment zones 151, 152, 153, and 154 where the side flaps 147 a and147 b may be attached to the interior surface 102 of the chassis.Additionally or alternatively, the laterally central portions 117 and118 may be extensible to a greater or lesser degree when subjected to agiven level of opposing tensile forces, i.e., may be more easily or lesseasily extensible, than the portions of the chassis in the side flapattachment zones. For example, if the chassis is made uniformlyextensible across its entire width prior to the formation of the sideflaps, the double layering in the areas of the side flap attachmentzones after the formation of the side flaps may have an effect ofdecreasing the degree of lateral extensibility of those areas under agiven level of opposing tensile forces, such as by the side flaps actingas parallel “springs” that may be extended in order to extend theunderlying attached portion of the chassis. As another example, thealtered regions in the laterally central portions of the chassis may bedeformed to a greater or a lesser degree than the altered regions in theside flap attachment zones to render the laterally central portions moreeasily or less easily extensible than the respective portions in theside flap attachment zones.

Description of the Abdominal Stretch Panels

As shown in the figures, each abdominal stretch panel has acircumferentially extending longitudinally distal edge that is disposedat or adjacent to the respective waist edge of the chassis 100 and alongitudinally opposing circumferentially extending longitudinallyproximal edge that is disposed relatively nearer to the lateral axis 44than the longitudinally distal edge of the same abdominal stretch panelis disposed. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, each abdominal stretch panelalso has laterally opposing longitudinally extending side edges 373, aninterior surface 374, and an exterior surface 375.

In particular, the front interior abdominal stretch panel 370, whenpresent, has a circumferentially extending longitudinally distal edge371 and a longitudinally opposing circumferentially extendinglongitudinally proximal edge 372. The front interior abdominal stretchpanel 370, when present, also has laterally opposing longitudinallyextending side edges 373, an interior surface 374, and an exteriorsurface 375. Similarly, when present, the back interior abdominalstretch panel 390 has a distal edge 391, a proximal edge 392, side edges393, an interior surface 394, and an exterior surface 395. Similarly,when present, the front exterior abdominal stretch panel 360 has adistal edge 361, a proximal edge 362, side edges 363, an interiorsurface 364, and an exterior surface 365. Similarly, when present, theback exterior abdominal stretch panel 380 has a distal edge 381, aproximal edge 382, side edges 383, an interior surface 384, and anexterior surface 385.

Each of the abdominal stretch panels shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3,and FIG. 6 has a circumferential extent that is substantially equivalentto the lateral extent of the chassis 100 in the respective waist region.In such embodiments, each abdominal stretch panel may be attached to thechassis 100 where the front waist region 36 and the back waist region 38are attached together. For example, if a side seam 115 is formed bymeans of pressure bonding or thermal bonding in any of their forms,including ultrasonic bonding, an abdominal stretch panel may be attachedto the chassis in the same side seam, such that the side seameffectively extends through the thicknesses of the chassis 100 and theabdominal stretch panel. An ability to bond all of the layers togetherin one side seam may have advantages in terms of manufacturingsimplicity and cost, because the side seam can be formed in a singlebonding process.

The number of apertures 622 per unit area of apertured web (i.e., thearea density of apertures 622) can be varied from about 1 aperture 622per square centimeter to as high as 60 apertures 622 per squarecentimeter. There can be at least 10 or at least 20 apertures 622 persquare centimeter, depending on the end use. In general, the areadensity need not be uniform across the entire area of web, but apertures622 may be oriented in only certain regions (e.g., the front or backwaist regions 36 and 38) of the chassis 100, and can be disposed in avariety of shapes, including lines, stripes, bands, circles, and thelike.

The abdominal stretch panels attached to the chassis as described hereinare desirable from the standpoints of comfort and appearance. Forexample, unlike typical stretch waistbands, each abdominal stretch panelcovers some portion of a waist region of the diaper 20, i.e., isdisposed on one or both of the interior and exterior surfaces ratherthan being hidden between layers of the chassis 100. Therefore, if theabdominal stretch panel is formed from soft and attractive materials,such as one of the aforementioned nonwovens, the exposed abdominalstretch panel can provide a finished appearance resembling that of clothunderwear and thereby convey an impression of softness and comfort tothe user.

Description of the Absorbent Assembly

As shown in FIGS. 12, 13, 14, and 15, the absorbent assembly 200includes an absorbent core 250 that serves to absorb and retain liquidbodily waste materials. The absorbent core 250 has a laterally extendingfront edge 256 and a longitudinally opposing and laterally extendingback edge 258. The absorbent core 250 also has a longitudinallyextending left side edge 257 a and a laterally opposing andlongitudinally extending right side edge 257 b, both absorbent core sideedges extending longitudinally between the front edge 256 and the backedge 258. The absorbent core 250 also has an interior surface 252 and anexterior surface 254.

The absorbent assembly 200 may be attached to the interior surface 102of the chassis 100 over any part or the whole of the area of theabsorbent assembly 200. The absorbent assembly 200 may be attached onits exterior surface 204 to the chassis 100 in a shaped attachmentpattern, for example a cruciform attachment pattern, i.e., an attachmentpattern that forms or is arranged in a cross or “+” shape.

Suitable configurations of cruciform attachment patterns are disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,962,578 to La Von issued on 8 Nov. 2005.

Alternatively, the absorbent assembly 200 may be attached to theinterior surface 102 of the chassis 100 in a convexly-shaped attachmentpattern 210′, which may be in the shape of an oval or may be egg-shaped.The convexly-shaped attachment pattern 210′ may be contiguous, i.e., allof its portions may be touching or connected throughout the pattern inan unbroken sequence. Alternatively, it may include detached portionsand thereby lack contiguity but still be arranged such that the shape ofthe overall pattern is in the form of, for example, an oval. Forexample, a discontiguous convexly-shaped attachment pattern 210′ mayinclude a longitudinally extending portion disposed along thelongitudinal axis 42 and separate left and right laterally spacedportions disposed along or adjacent to the lateral axis 44, thelaterally spaced portions having extending longitudinally to differentlengths thereby forming an oval shaped pattern. In one embodiment, shownin FIG. 21, the oval-like attachment pattern 210 comprises 5 laterallyspaced stripes of adhesive 624-628 attaching the absorbent assembly 200to the interior surface 102 of the chassis 100. The central stripe 626may be disposed at or adjacent the longitudinal axis 42 and is shown ashaving the greatest longitudinal extent. The most distal of the adhesivestripes 624 and 628 are shown as having the least longitudinal extentand the intermediate stripes 625 and 627, those located between thedistal stripes 624 and 628 and the central stripe 626 are shown having alongitudinal extent between that of the central stripe 626 and thedistal stripes 624 and 628.

The portions of the chassis 100 that lie outside such a convexly-shapedattachment pattern 210 or oval-like attachment pattern 210 are notrestrained by attachment to the absorbent assembly 200 and thereforeremain extensible. Thus, in embodiments where the absorbent assembly 200is attached to the backsheet 26 in the convexly-shaped attachmentpattern 210, the backsheet 26 substantially loses its extensibility inthe area of attachment. The portion of the backsheet 26 disposed outsideof the convexly-shaped attachment pattern 210 may remain extensible.Thus, it may be desirable to activate the backsheet 26 in a patterncomplimentary with a given attachment pattern (e.g., a concaveactivation pattern 675 to compliment a convexly-shaped or oval-likeattachment patterns 210).

Within the extent of the shaped attachment patterns (e.g., thecruciform, convexly-shaped, and oval-like attachment patterns 210), theabsorbent assembly 200 may be attached to the chassis 100 continuouslyor intermittently as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. For example, a film ofadhesive (not shown) may be applied continuously over the entire area ofthe cruciform attachment pattern 210 and then used to continuouslyattach the absorbent assembly 200 to the chassis 100. As an alternativeexample, an adhesive may be applied discontinuously at and inside theboundaries of the convexly shaped attachment pattern 210″, such as inthe form of dots, stripes (e.g., stripes 624-628), beads, spirals, etc.,and then used to attach the absorbent assembly 200 to the chassis 100.

The shaped attachment patterns (e.g., the cruciform, convexly-shaped,and oval-like attachment patterns 210) may be disposed symmetrically orasymmetrically with respect to either or both of the longitudinal axis42 and the lateral axis 44 of the chassis 100. In addition, the shapedattachment patterns (e.g., the cruciform, convexly-shaped, and oval-likeattachment patterns 210) may be disposed symmetrically or asymmetricallywith respect to either or both of the side edges 237 a and b and thefront and back edges 236 and 238 of the absorbent assembly 200. Othersuitable configurations of cruciform attachment patterns 210 aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,962,578 issued on 8 Nov. 2005.

The absorbent core 250 may be disposed between a lower covering sheetthat is disposed on the exterior face of the absorbent core 250 and anupper covering sheet that is disposed on the interior face of theabsorbent core 250. Such an upper covering sheet and lower coveringsheet may be attached together to contain the absorbent core 250 betweenthem and thereby form the absorbent assembly 200. For example, in theexemplary absorbent assembly 200 shown in FIGS. 12, 13, 14 and 15, anupper covering sheet 24 and a lower covering sheet 25 are attachedtogether at or adjacent to the side edges 237 of the absorbent assembly200 in longitudinally extending adhesive attachment zones 29.Alternatively, the upper covering sheet 24 and the lower covering sheet25 may be attached together in places other than the side edges 237,e.g., at or adjacent to the end edges 236 and 238 of the absorbentassembly 200, or at or adjacent to both the end edges 236 and 238 andthe side edges 237. Both the upper covering sheet and the lower coveringsheet are water vapor-permeable, i.e., breathable.

The upper covering sheet 24 may be water-permeable and may allow liquidwaste to pass through to the absorbent core 250, where the liquid wastemay be absorbed. The lower covering sheet 25 may be water-impermeable.However, alternatively, the lower covering sheet 25 may bewater-permeable.

In the exemplary absorbent assembly 200 shown in FIGS. 12, 13, 14 and15, the upper covering sheet 24 and the lower covering sheet 25 are ofthe same size, i.e., both the upper covering sheet 24 and the lowercovering sheet 25 extend to the front edge 236 and back edge 238, aswell as to the side edges 237 of the absorbent assembly 200.Alternatively, the upper covering sheet 24 and the lower covering sheet25 may differ in size.

As another example, the upper covering sheet 24 may be larger than thelower covering sheet 25 and may be wrapped over the side edges 257 ofthe absorbent core 250 onto the interior surface of the absorbent core250, where the upper covering sheet 24 and the lower covering sheet 25may be attached together. Alternatively, in place of a separate uppercovering sheet 24 and a separate lower covering sheet 25, a singlecovering sheet may be wrapped around the absorbent core 250 and attachedto itself to contain the absorbent core 250.

The absorbent core 250 includes a storage component 272 that serves toabsorb and retain liquid bodily waste materials. Suitable knownmaterials for the absorbent core storage component include cellulosefibers in the form of comminuted wood pulp, commonly known as “airfelt”,natural or synthetic fibrous materials, and superabsorbent polymers,used either singly or in mixtures and commonly formed into layers orsheets, etc.

The absorbent core may include an acquisition component in addition toone or more storage components. The absorbent core acquisition componentserves to acquire deposited liquid bodily waste material and transfer itto the absorbent core storage component. Any porous absorbent materialwhich will imbibe and partition liquid bodily waste material to thestorage component or components may be used to form the acquisitioncomponent. Examples of such acquisition materials are more fullydescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,264 issued to Osborn on Aug. 21, 1990.

Such an absorbent core acquisition component 290 is shown overlying theabsorbent core storage component 272 in FIG. 15. A separation sheet 292of, e.g., a tissue or a nonwoven material, may be disposed between theabsorbent core storage component 272 and the absorbent core acquisitioncomponent 290 to help ensure that none of the gel formed by asuperabsorbent polymer that may be included in the absorbent corestorage component reaches the skin of the wearer.

Statements of Incorporation by Reference and Intended Scope of Claims

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or relatedpatent or application, is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation ofany document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect toany invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in anycombination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests ordiscloses any such invention. Further, to the extent that any meaning ordefinition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning ordefinition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shallgovern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An absorbent article comprising: an absorbentassembly comprising an absorbent core; a chassis formed by a webcomprising at least one continuous layer that forms a portion of awater-impermeable backsheet and a portion of laterally opposing,inwardly folded side flaps; the chassis further comprising alongitudinal axis, a lateral axis, a front waist region comprising afront waist edge, a back waist region comprising a back waist edge, acrotch region between the waist regions, laterally opposing side edgesextending between the front waist edge and the back waist edge, anexterior surface, and an interior surface to which the absorbentassembly is attached; each of the side flaps comprise a longitudinallyextending first elastic gathering member attached at or adjacent to itsproximal edge to form barrier cuff flaps; at least one abdominal stretchpanel attached to the interior surface or the exterior surface of thechassis in the front waist region or the back waist region and having acircumferentially extending longitudinally distal edge disposed at oradjacent to the respective waist edge and a longitudinally opposingcircumferentially extending longitudinally proximal edge, the at leastone abdominal stretch panel providing a circumferential contractiveforce around the waist opening when the chassis is stretchedcircumferentially; and the chassis further comprises a continuouslyactivated region disposed in one or both of the front and back waistregions of the article, the continuously activated region comprisinglongitudinally oriented ridges and valleys, wherein the continuouslyactivated region overlaps the portion of the chassis where the at leastone abdominal stretch panel is disposed.
 2. The disposable absorbentarticle of claim 1, wherein the chassis comprises a first activationpattern in the front waist region and/or the back waist region, andwherein the crotch region of the chassis is not activated or comprises asecond activation pattern which is different from the first activationpattern.
 3. The absorbent article of claim 1, wherein the chassisfurther comprises an intermittently activated region disposed in thecrotch region, the intermittently activated region comprisingalternating altered and unaltered regions.
 4. The absorbent article ofclaim 1, wherein a portion of the chassis in one of the front and backwaist regions is laterally extensible to a greater extent than a portionof the chassis disposed in the crotch region.
 5. The absorbent articleof claim 1, wherein a portion of the web in one of the front and backwaist regions is deformed to a greater extent than a portion of thechassis disposed in the crotch region.
 6. The absorbent article of claim1, wherein a portion of the web in at least one of the waist regions andin the crotch region comprises ridges and valleys and wherein the ridgesand valleys in one or both of the front and back waist regions comprisesdeeper ridges and valleys than in the crotch region.
 7. The absorbentarticle of claim 1, wherein the continuously activated region disposedin one or both of the front and back waist regions is formed in a shape,the shape comprising a first portion disposed adjacent the side edges ofthe chassis and having a greater longitudinal length than a secondportion disposed in a laterally central portion of the chassis.
 8. Theabsorbent article of claim 1, wherein the interior surface of thechassis comprises longitudinally extending corrugations disposed in thewaist region at or adjacent the waist end edge.
 9. The absorbent articleof claim 1, wherein the absorbent assembly is attached to the interiorsurface of the chassis via a shaped attachment zone, the shapedattachment zone comprising a convex shape in at least one of the frontand back waist regions.
 10. The absorbent article of claim 9, whereinthe continuously activated region is disposed in one or both of thefront and back waist regions comprises a concave shape that iscomplimentary to the shape of the shaped attachment zone.
 11. Anabsorbent article comprising: an absorbent assembly comprising anabsorbent core; a chassis comprising a longitudinal axis, a lateralaxis, a front waist region comprising a front waist edge, a back waistregion comprising a back waist edge, a crotch region between the waistregions, laterally opposing side edges extending between the front waistedge and the back waist edge, the side edges comprising folded side edgesegments disposed in the front and back waist regions and cut side edgesegments disposed in the crotch region, an exterior surface, and aninterior surface to which the absorbent assembly is attached, thechassis comprising a web that forms a portion of a water-impermeablebacksheet and a portion of laterally opposing, inwardly folded sideflaps, each of the side flaps comprising a longitudinally extendingfirst elastic gathering member attached at or adjacent to its proximaledge to form barrier cuff flaps; at least one abdominal stretch panelattached to the interior surface or the exterior surface of the chassisin the front waist region or the back waist region and having acircumferentially extending longitudinally distal edge disposed at oradjacent to the respective waist edge and a longitudinally opposingcircumferentially extending longitudinally proximal edge, the at leastone abdominal stretch panel providing a circumferential contractiveforce around the waist opening when the chassis is stretchedcircumferentially; and the chassis further comprises a continuouslyactivated region disposed in one or both of the front and back waistregions of the article, the continuously activated region comprisinglongitudinally oriented ridges and valleys, wherein the continuouslyactivated region overlaps the portion of the chassis where the at leastone abdominal stretch panel is disposed.
 12. The absorbent article ofclaim 11, wherein the continuously activated region is disposed in oneor both of the front and back waist regions is formed in a shape, theshape comprising a first portion disposed adjacent the side edges of thechassis and having a greater longitudinal length than a second portiondisposed in a laterally central portion of the chassis.
 13. Theabsorbent article of claim 11, wherein the interior surface of thechassis comprises longitudinally extending corrugations disposed in thewaist region at or adjacent the waist region.
 14. The absorbent articleof claim 11, wherein a portion of the web in one or both of the frontand back waist regions exhibits a higher level of deformation than aportion of the chassis disposed in the crotch region.
 15. The absorbentarticle of claim 11, wherein a portion of the chassis in one or both ofthe front and back waist regions is laterally extensible to a greaterextent than a portion of the chassis disposed in the crotch region. 16.The absorbent article of claim 11, wherein a portion of the chassis inone or both of the front and back waist regions comprises ring rollactivation and a portion of the chassis disposed in the crotch regioncomprises no activation.
 17. The absorbent article of claim 11, whereina portion of the web in one or both of the front and back waist regionsis ring roll activated and a portion of the web disposed in the crotchregion is activated to be a structured elastic-like formed web.
 18. Thedisposable absorbent article of claim 11, wherein the chassis comprisesa first activation pattern in the front waist region and/or the backwaist region, and wherein the crotch region of the chassis comprises asecond activation pattern which is different from the first activationpattern.
 19. The disposable absorbent article of claim 11, wherein theabsorbent article comprises a closure member, the closure membermaintaining the waist and leg openings of the absorbent article in aclosed configuration to form a pant.
 20. The disposable absorbentarticle of claim 16, wherein the closure member is refastenable.